The present invention concerns vehicle shifters for shifting manual transmissions, and more particularly concerns a shifter having a shift lever and an interlock device for insuring that the vehicle shift lever is always in a reverse gear position when the ignition switch is in a key-removable off position, and for ensuring that the ignition switch is in a key-retaining on position before the shift lever can be moved out of the reverse gear position.
Vehicle manufacturers have various mechanisms to ensure that a vehicle's transmission is in a desired position prior to starting the vehicle. It is also desirable to include mechanisms that ensure that the transmission is in a desired gear while the vehicle is turned off, similar to the requirement for an automatic transmission to be in "PARK" when the vehicle is turned off. To date, no known manufacturer has offered an interlock capable of doing both. Further, no known manufacturer has designed an interlock system of sufficient strength to prevent a forced override for manual transmissions.
Therefore, an interlock mechanism is desired solving the aforementioned problems and that is compact, simple, easy to assemble, and strong enough to prevent forcibly overriding the interlock system.